10 years, 10 questions: Fabio Mancone on the rethink everything® brand idea generation

For more than 230 years, the ability to rethink, adapt, and evolve has helped Lombard Odier navigate a changing world. Ten years ago, that longstanding philosophy was distilled into rethink everything^®, the distinctive brand platform that has since challenged audiences to look at the world differently.

To mark ten years of rethink everything^® campaigns, Fabio Mancone, Partner and Group Chief Branding Officer, answers 10 questions about how the idea emerged from the Maison’s history, why anticipation and conviction have been central to its success, and how it continues to evolve today.

Watch the video below and step into the world of our advertising campaigns:

1. Let’s go back to the beginning. Lombard Odier has been rethinking for more than 230 years, so what prompted the decision to communicate this a decade ago?

In 2015, we set out to understand and distil the essence of Lombard Odier. We wanted to understand what had made this Maison relevant, distinctive, and successful throughout its history.

We dug into more than two centuries of heritage and searched for the key moments that had marked the existence of the Maison. At the same time, we conducted more than 100 interviews, both within and outside Lombard Odier, including clients and executives.

We didn't invent a philosophy ten years ago. We gave a name and an expression to something that Lombard Odier had been doing throughout its history

What emerged was that Lombard Odier had been able to survive and thrive through more than 40 financial crises because of one intrinsic strength: the ability to constantly rethink the world around it. To understand change, adapt, evolve, and readjust.

So we didn't invent a philosophy ten years ago. We gave a name and an expression to something that Lombard Odier had been doing throughout its history. That expression became rethink everything®.

2. Why was authenticity so important?

Because there is no sustainable branding exercise that can last if it is not true and authentic at its core.

rethink everything^® wasn't something created and then applied to Lombard Odier. It came from the Maison itself. We built it from our history, our heritage, and what we had learned from our clients and colleagues.

The danger for companies with a long history is to forget the past in an attempt to look modern. The real exercise is to build on something that is completely true to where you come from and the years of experience and expertise you have accumulated, while making sure it remains relevant to today's clients and future prospects.

That is what gives you a platform that can eventually become intrinsic to the way you operate across the whole organisation.

The real exercise is to build on something that is completely true to where you come from and the years of experience and expertise you have accumulated, while making sure it remains relevant to today's clients and future prospects

3. You often describe Lombard Odier as a Maison rather than a bank. Why does that distinction matter?

We are an investment firm, but we try to bring all the capabilities of a Maison to what we do: savoir-faire, expertise, succession, and an artisanal, human element.

When I joined Lombard Odier and began looking at its brand, identity and values, it became very clear to me that in many ways we had more in common with Maisons such as Patek Philippe or Hermès than with other large banks.

That completely changes how you look at the organisation.

We have more than 230 years of history and an incredibly rich heritage. The challenge is to protect that heritage while continually making it relevant to the world today.

Read also: Lombard Odier: 230 years of shaping the Swiss economy

4. One of the hallmarks of the rethink everything^® campaigns has been their ability to anticipate major conversations. Was that deliberate from the beginning?

Absolutely. When rethink everything^® was launched as a campaign in 2016, our approach was to be topical.

We needed to understand how the world was evolving early enough to address issues with our distinctive point of view before they became part of the mainstream conversation.

One campaign I am particularly proud of featured the word “European” over the door of 10 Downing Street in 2016, the year of the Brexit referendum. It was a strong, daring statement and a demonstration of conviction.

At around the same time, we featured an image of Mars paired with the word “home”, as commercial space exploration was beginning to develop. We subsequently looked at issues linked to animal agriculture, from land and water use to methane emissions, and examined microplastics pollution years before they became as widely discussed as they are today.

The subjects were diverse, but the principle was consistent: to encourage people to look at the world through a different lens and consider why a particular change or trend could ultimately matter from an investment perspective.

We needed to understand how the world was evolving early enough to address issues with our distinctive point of view before they became part of the mainstream conversation

5. How have the subjects you explore through rethink everything^® evolved over the past decade?

The world has evolved, so the subjects we explore through rethink everything^® have evolved with it.

Sustainability became a very important part of our communications, and it remains a key investment conviction for Lombard Odier. But in 2024, we felt it was important to broaden the perspective again as the world was facing a polycrisis. If we wanted to remain true to rethink everything^®, we couldn't focus only on sustainability. Geopolitics and technology were becoming increasingly important to clients and investors, so they needed to be part of the conversation too.

In a sense, that brought us back to the breadth of the original purpose: rethink everything.

Read also: Rethink Perspectives: how to anticipate shifts in markets, taxation, and business transfers

6. The advertising itself has a very distinctive formula. How was that developed?

It was built around a very simple mechanism designed to create engagement: intrigue, inspire, and bond.

First, you intrigue. The visual and the word don't immediately seem to relate to one another, so you stop and try to understand what you're seeing.

Then comes inspiration. You discover the subject behind the advertisement and the perspective or conviction we're putting forward.

Finally, there is the possibility of bonding. If that perspective resonates with you, then we're sharing a way of seeing the world. And that shared perspective creates the potential for genuine engagement.

Over time, that model has developed further: intrigue, inspiration, bonding, and engagement, potentially leading to conversion.

7. And where do clients fit into that philosophy?

Clients were involved from the very beginning. They are at the heart of it.

One of the insights we gained during the original research came from a young UK technology entrepreneur. He didn't simply want another bank proposing where to invest or allocate his wealth. What mattered to him most was whether we saw the world in the same way and how that would matter for the investment strategy.

That was extremely important for us.

It helped us understand that this was about perspectives, points of view, and convictions. If there is a shared perspective on what is changing in the world, that opens the conversation about what those changes could mean for a client's investments and wealth.

We see ourselves as advisers, not sellers. Sometimes that also means challenging conventional thinking or telling clients things they may not necessarily expect to hear.

If there is a shared perspective on what is changing in the world, that opens the conversation about what those changes could mean for a client's investments and wealth

8. So rethink everything^® isn’t about Lombard Odier claiming to have the answers?

Quite the opposite.

The rethink perspective is not only what we think of something but rather what we want people to rethink with us about something.

When you see rethink everything^® on one of our campaigns, the message isn't that we have rethought everything for you. It is an invitation to open the question together, look at what is changing, and ask what it could mean for you.

That ability to challenge conventional wisdom can create an entirely different conversation about investing and portfolio management.

The message isn't that we have rethought everything for you. It is an invitation to open the question together, look at what is changing, and ask what it could mean for you

9. Today, rethink everything^® extends well beyond advertising. How did that happen, and do you have any examples of this?

Again, it comes back to authenticity.

Because rethink everything^® grew out of the history and heritage of the Maison, it has been able to inspire the wider organisation. It is not a layer that has been placed on top of Lombard Odier.

Taken from our heritage and DNA, rethink everything^® gives that a contemporary expression, and in turn the organisation continues to build on it. That creates a virtuous circle.

But another key word here is consistency. Every element of the marketing mix and every client touchpoint must be consistent. From our marketing materials and events to advertising, our website and social media, everything needs to feel part of the same positioning and image.

Our headquarters, 1Roof, is probably the clearest physical expression of that idea. It is what it means to rethink everything … in 3D.

Read also: Lombard Odier named world’s best private bank for sustainable and impact investing by PWM

The brief to the architects was to create something innovative, inspired by nature and the lake, with light, transparency, and openness, while encouraging exchanges between colleagues and with clients. But at the same time, it needed to retain the feeling of a Maison: warm, welcoming, and “human”.

In the same way that our campaigns should feel different, someone visiting our headquarters or attending one of our events should recognise that same differentiating identity.

With all that is happening in the world, Rethink Everything is definitely here to stay

10. After more than 230 years of rethinking and ten years of rethink everything^® campaigns, what comes next?

With all that is happening in the world, rethink everything^® is definitely here to stay. Uncertainty and instability have never been higher. And that’s where the power of independent, expert, trustworthy advice is most needed. That’s where thought leadership and the capability to understand how to continuously adapt to a fast-changing landscape are of critical value.

We have been rethinking for more than 230 years and the rethink everything^® campaigns have given that enduring philosophy an impactful expression for the past decade. As the world continues to change, so will the questions we ask. And we will keep rethinking. Everything.